Expanding Foam

Great stuff works pretty well.

KP, do you recommend any specific brands or types?

Mark
DAP works great, but like most of them you will need to use all of the 12oz. at one time.(if you can find the small cans 6oz. or smaller get 2 or 3) for small jobs.
It's hard to reuse it after the foam comes out the 1st. time.
Or to say after 15 mins. or so.
Don't over fill the crack,it will come out all over the place and can be a job to clean up the over fill. (a next day job after it's set and dry)

Have a good one.
Bj

Thanks bob, I'm going to check DAP out.

Mark
Just a foot note*** Like most of us you will say DAM I miss a spot,the next day when you go to clean up.
Small Cans !!!

Bj

Mark said:

KP, do you recommend any specific brands or types?

Click to expand...

"great stuff" is the product name.

Mark, Great Stuff comes in 12 ounce cans in 3 varieties: triple expanding for filling large cavaties, minimal expanding for small areas and door /window frame which is a very low pressure expanding foam.(This prevents warping jambs or sashes out of shape)
HD carries it here as do most hardware stores.

Foam

Mark,

I don’t recommend using any of the expanding foams. Two reasons for that statement. The first is the obvious it expands too much and causes problems. The second reason is when you use this stuff it will glue things in place. Getting anything out after the initial use is almost impossible. I would advise using fiberglass insulation if possible. If you are just filling gaps in framing then this stuff works OK. But windows, doors, and etc. should be avoided is possible. However if you are going to use this stuff there is a brand that can be reused. Hilti makes this and it is marketed at The Home Depot (not all stores). It is much more expensive than the material that has been recommended.


mike

I too try to stay away from the canned foam - was overzelous and ruined a couple windows once - depending on the situation ... say a pipe or conduit entering an exterior hole ... I stuff the hole with foam tubing as a filler and insulator and then seal the outside with a latex caulk.

If you use the foam you will probably want to wear a pair of disposable latex gloves or something similiar because as someone mentioned it does a pretty good job of sticking to things. Anyone who's ever had this stuff stuck on their hands for a few days knows what I'm talking about (wink)

The expanding foams come in different strengths too. There's a weaker or stronger version and the stronger stuff will actually move parts like in a window frame and make the window stick. Depends on the application so use carefully as already noted in other threads. And yup, clean up is a bitch.

You can clean your tube by using a drill bit smaller than the tube and twisting it with your hand then use a smaller bit to push the bigger bit all the way through. I"m talking about DAP or Great Stuff

There are three different expansion rates for foam. If you have an open area, nothing to worry about getting moved around a bit, the fast, larger expanding foam is the way to go. However, like windows, pipes, etc., use the smaller expanding foam.